1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a door lock device, and more particularly to an automotive door lock device of a type which has an "anti-keyless" locking function.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, many types of automotive door lock devices have been proposed. Some of them are of a type which has a so-called "keyless locking" function in which the door can be locked from the outside without using a key. Examples of this type of device are disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Second Publications Nos. Sho 55-11405, 55-29781 and 50-18259. Usually, keyless locking is carried out by pushing down the locking knob with the door opened and then closing the door with the outside handle manipulated to the opening position. However, current wide usage of such door lock devices has inevitably brought about a problem in that the door is frequently locked by way of the keyless locking with the key left in the vehicle cabin. In this case, the door can no longer be opened from the outside in the normal way.
Some of the hitherto proposed door lock devices are of a type which does not have the keyless locking function. This type of door lock device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Second Publication Sho No. 50-20427 and Japanese Patent Application First publication Sho No. 52-137817. However, this type of lock device, that is, a so-called "anti-keyless locking" type, is not provided with a free wheel (or air striking) mechanism, so that the durability of it is relatively poor. Furthermore, the locking of the door is effected only when the door is fully closed, that is, when the device is in the fully latching condition. In other words, the key cylinder can not be turned to its door locking position when the door is in the half-latched position. Thus, this type door lock device induces a high possibility of damaging the key because of careless key manipulation under the half-latched condition of the door.